For the fifth year, the TEFAF Showcase in Maastricht gave recently-established galleries the opportunity to participate in one of the world's largest and most renowned art shows.
"As the years progress, we find that the level of applicants is getting higher as people have realised that they need to be of a certain standard to be considered," says Ben Janssens, Chairman of the Executive Committee of TEFAF, and a member of the selection panel, which consists of TEFAF members and independent art specialists. "Showcase is now an established feature of the Fair and many visitors head straight for that section because they know that there are new dealers there."
To date, twenty galleries have participated to resounding positive results. Emanuel von Baeyer specializes in Old Master drawings, prints and paintings. He was among the first Showcase exhibitors in 2008, and says of the experience, "I can certainly say that Showcase exposed me to a wider audience and I received positive reactions to my gallery from various sources. It showed me that TEFAF is the definitive meeting point for most disciplines in the art trade and Showcase is helping it to continue its dynamic growth!"
This year, the showcase was made up of six galleries.
•Didier Antiques, London. Didier Haspeslagh and Martine Newby Haspeslagh launched the gallery in 2006. It specializes in artist's jewels by post-war painters and sculptors and silver and gold wares by leading 20th century designers and architects.
•Fergus Hall – Master Paintings, London. Fergus Hall set up his independent dealership in 2008 and specializes in Old Masters, primarily 17th century Dutch and Flemish paintings and British pictures from the 18th century.
•Kálmán Makláry Fine Arts, Budapest. This modern and contemporary art gallery focuses on the works of Hungarian artists who have lived in France such as Judit Reigl, Alfréd Réth and István Sándorfi.
•Giuseppe Piva Japanese Art, Milan. Giuseppe Piva deals in a range of Japanese works of art, including armour, helmets, swords, screens, netsuke and lacquers.
•Christophe de Quénetain, Paris. Established in 2001, Christophe de Quénetain specializes in 17th, 18th and 19th century furniture and objects d'art. The gallery's expertise also covers Old Master paintings and drawings from the same period.
•Vigo Gallery, London. This new contemporary gallery was set up by Thomas Williams and Toby Clarke in September 2011. Williams has been championing contemporary figurative artists since 1999 while Clarke was previously Director of Contemporary Art at The Fine Art Society in London.
The deadline to apply for the TEFAF Showcase 2013 is October 10. The show will run from March 15-24.
